Donald Trump is still the leader in a crowded Republican presidential primary field, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.

But Trump trails any of three leading Democratic contenders by wide margins, according to the poll.

With 20 percent of GOP voters, Trump has the largest tally among the Republican contenders for the 2016 primary. Trailing Trump are Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker with 13 percent and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush with 10 percent. No other Republican does better than 6 percent.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gets 55 percent of Democratic voters across the nation, with 17 percent choosing U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and 13 percent picking Vice President Joe Biden. No other candidate tops 1 percent.

Gov. Tom Wolf will hold his first Facebook question and answer session live online today at 5:15 p.m. The event will take place on his Facebook page:http://on.fb.me/1Mwe8uN.

Facebook users and followers can ask the governor questions about his budget proposal and initiatives on jobs, schools and government by posting a comment on the announcement on Facebook here. Similar to a Twitter Town Hall, a Facebook Q&A allows the governor to reply directly to Facebook users’ comments on the Q&A post.

According to the governor’s office, here’s how Facebook users can participate in the event:

Gov. Tom Wolf won’t accept as little as a doughnut that’s offered to him as the state’s chief executive. (I saw a tweet recently to that effect.)

So it comes as no surprise that he’s applauded the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (Pennvest) board for following his lead in enacting a gift ban.

“I am committed to making government work so we can restore the public’s trust and make sure we are being open and transparent,” Wolf said in a statement. “That is why I signed executive orders banning gifts for all employees of the executive branch and reforming the way the commonwealth contracts with outside legal firms.

“I commend the Pennvest board’s action in following my lead to ban gifts. This is an important step,” he said.

In February, Wolf urged independent state agencies to ban gifts. In taking the action, Pennvest joins major independent agencies such as the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission in banning gifts.

— John Guerriero

]]>http://blogs.goerie.com/campaign/2015/07/27/wolf-applauds-agencys-gift-ban/feed/0Judicial candidates make Erie stophttp://blogs.goerie.com/campaign/2015/07/24/judicial-candidates-make-erie-stop/
http://blogs.goerie.com/campaign/2015/07/24/judicial-candidates-make-erie-stop/#commentsFri, 24 Jul 2015 20:28:21 +0000http://blogs.goerie.com/campaign/?p=4981If it’s summertime in Erie, that means it’s time for political candidates to make their annual trip to the Erie Club Picnic at Waldameer Park.

And that includes Pennsylvania appellate court candidates who are trying to win election Nov. 3.

I got word from Andrew Patterson, judicial director of the Republican Party of Pennsylvania, that three GOP appellate court candidates attended the picnic Thursday.

Getting in some early campaigning were: Supreme Court candidate Michael George, president judge of Adams County Court; Superior Court candidate Emil Giordano, a judge in Northampton County Court; and Commonwealth Court candidate Paul Lalley, an attorney from Allegheny County.

Three seats are open on the Supreme Court and one each on Superior and Commonwealth courts.

Look for more intense campaigning from all candidates as summer turns to fall.

Joe Sestak is getting some competition in the 2016 race for U.S. Senate.

Katie McGinty, Gov. Tom Wolf’s chief of staff, stepped down today as a precursor to an announcement that she will seek the Democratic nomination and the right to face freshman U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa.

Wolf today named Mary Isenhour as his new chief of staff following the announcement of McGinty’s short-lived stay in the new administration. Isenhour most recently served as Wolf’s secretary of legislative affairs.

McGinty said it had been an honor to work for Wolf.

Joe Sestak/ETN file photo

“I am proud to have helped to fight to expand Medicaid and eliminate unfair asset tests while advocating for policies that will fund our schools and strengthen our middle class. I will continue to fight for the principles and polices that we worked on in the Wolf administration including fixing our schools, creating jobs, and advocating for a living wage for our workers,” McGinty said in a statement.

Isenhour said in a statement that she looks forward to continuing to work with Wolf and the administration “to serve the people of Pennsylvania.”

Sestak, considered a maverick in the Democratic Party, told GoErie.com/Erie Times-News in May that “everybody who wants to get in (the race) should get in.”

U.S. Senators Pat Toomey, R-Pa., and Bob Casey, D-Pa., will host their annual softball game today at 6:45 p.m. on the National Mall.

There’s a lot at stake, with the all-time series tied 2-2, between the senators’ separate teams. Besides the senators, the roster is composed of staffers and interns, said John Rizzo, a spokesman for Casey.

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey

Rizzo said that Toomey plays third base, and Casey plays several infield positions, including third.

No word on whether Mitch McConnell or Harry Reid might be calling balls and strikes.

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders may be making some early noise in New Hampshire in the campaign for the White House, but a poll shows Hillary Clinton way ahead of the Democratic pack.

In a recent poll of Democratic and Democratic-leaning independent voters, 59 percent of those voters said they would vote for the former secretary of state in the 2016 presidential primaries and caucuses.

Sanders placed a distant second as the choice of 14 percent of the Democrats and independents responding to the national poll, followed by Vice President Joe Biden, with 8 percent.

Fewer than 2 percent of these voters would select the other declared Democrats: former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb, former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, and former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee.

Sixteen percent of Democratic voters remain undecided with the first presidential caucuses and primaries six months away.

“Bernie Sanders draws large crowds and polls well with his New Hampshire next-door neighbors, but Democratic voters appear to be too pragmatic to pin their hopes on him,” said David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center in Boston, said in a statement.

“Demographically, Clinton carried every region of the country, age group, and income level. Clinton even bested Sanders 55 percent to 21 percent among those who described themselves as ‘liberal’ or ‘very liberal’—the progressive voters whom Sanders must win. All-in-all the upcoming Democratic primaries and caucuses are looking to be dominated by Clinton,” he said.

In a possible glimpse at the 2016 general election, the poll presented voters with matchups between Clinton and the top-polling Republican candidates. Clinton still leads, but with much closer margins, especially against former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush – 46 percent to 42 percent.

“Even if she cruises through the primaries, the general election is no sure bet for Clinton,” said Paleologos. “She doesn’t poll above the 50 percent threshold against anyone but Donald Trump.”

Clinton’s use of a private email server while working at the State Department is significant for 38 percent of those polled, who say the issue matters a lot in their voting decision. The same percentage say that the email issue makes them less likely to vote for her.

However, 43 percent said the issue would not affect their vote, and among Democratic primary voters, 59 percent said it makes no difference.

Among voters who identify themselves either as Republicans or independents and who plan to vote in their states’ GOP primaries or caucuses, 17 percent named Trump as their top choice for his party’s nomination in the 2016 presidential race.

Getting less than 2 percent each were former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum,former Texas Gov. Rick Perry,Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal,businesswoman Carly Fiorina, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham and former New York Gov. George Pataki.

But 30 percent of the Republican voters remain undecided about whom they will support among a crowded field of candidates.

“Trump is making daily headlines in advance of the primary season,” said David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University political Research Center in Boston. “This has vaulted him to the top of the pack on the backs of conservative voters. But when you expand the electoral pool to include Democrats and independents that potency dissipates.”

Among self-identified conservative or very conservative Republican likely voters, the poll showed that Trump led Bush 17 percent to 11 percent, with all other candidates in single digits. But among voters of all parties, Trump’s negatives were the highest, at 61 percent.

Clinton, meanwhile, was not as strong in matchups against other Republicans.

Bush polled closest in a matchup that included all voters surveyed, trailing the former New York senator by a 4 percent margin, 46 percent to 42 percent, with 13 percent undecided.

Clinton led all Republican contenders, but polled below 50 percent against the top six – with the exception of Trump.